Wells in mix for leadoff spot ... and potentially some Yanks history

TAMPA, Fla. -- The leadoff spot is new to Austin Wells, who never did it in Little League, when he¡¯d usually see his name in the heart of the lineup. Nor did it happen during his years at Bishop Gorman (Nev.) High School, and it certainly had not occurred in the collegiate or professional ranks.

Yet Wells occupied the top place in the Yankees¡¯ lineup again on Friday evening, the fifth consecutive time Wells has been slotted there this spring. It is no accident, as manager Aaron Boone is seriously entertaining hitting Wells in the top spot this coming season.

¡°Maybe it¡¯s a little less time to get on deck, but to me, it doesn¡¯t matter where I¡¯m at -- as long as I¡¯m in the lineup,¡± said Wells, who went 2-for-3 with a homer in the Yankees¡¯ 8-7 Grapefruit League victory over the Blue Jays on Friday evening.

If Wells sees a game as the leadoff hitter during the regular season, it would represent a franchise milestone of sorts. The Yankees have played more than 18,000 games, and no catcher has ever started a game batting at the top of the lineup.

¡°Never? With all of their history? That¡¯s surprising,¡± said bench coach Brad Ausmus, who points out it¡¯s hardly unprecedented in the Majors -- Jason Kendall did it 463 times during his lengthy career.

It happened five times last season alone (three by the Brewers¡¯ William Contreras). Ausmus himself logged 15 starts as a catcher hitting leadoff with the Padres, Tigers and Astros in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Said Ausmus: ¡°I could run a little.¡±

So can Wells, who has stolen a combined 40 bases in 43 attempts across the Majors and Minors, but his wheels aren¡¯t why the Yankees are considering this. It comes down to personnel.

¡°I think he¡¯s going to be a guy in his career that is going to get on base,¡± Boone said. ¡°That¡¯s my No. 1 criteria for the leadoff spot. I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m going to land on him in the leadoff spot, either. It¡¯s just something that I¡¯m looking at.

¡°I think he¡¯s going to be a really good offensive player right now, and I think part of his offensive profile is going to be the ability to get on base.¡±

The 25-year-old Wells is coming off a season in which his .322 on-base percentage ranked fifth among American League rookies, finishing with a .229 average, 13 homers and 55 RBIs.

Though infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. would figure to be a more traditional leadoff choice, Chisholm has been more productive in other spots. In 192 games batting first for the Marlins, Chisholm posted a .244/.304/.428 slash line; he¡¯s eager for more chances.

¡°I love hitting in the first inning,¡± Chisholm said. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want to get more at-bats? That¡¯s what you grew up liking to do, is hit.¡±

But Boone may want Chisholm elsewhere. He believes Chisholm¡¯s blend of athleticism and power could be more valuable in the heart of the lineup, especially with Giancarlo Stanton¡¯s absence reducing the club¡¯s expected firepower.

¡°With the Chisholm-[Anthony] Volpe-[Jasson] Dom¨ªnguez element, it¡¯s three guys that really run well, that I think are going to steal bases,¡± Boone said. ¡°There¡¯s that component to it. I do kind of like Jazz in the middle of the lineup, but again, I¡¯m still flirting with things. We¡¯ll see.¡±

Wells hit mainly in the cleanup spot last season, starting there 38 times. Volpe saw the most starts in the leadoff spot (76), followed by two players who are no longer on the roster: Gleyber Torres (56) and Alex Verdugo (17).

Boone acknowledged the added responsibilities of a catcher may complicate the call; for example, if the team is on the road, Wells would be unavailable to warm up the starting pitcher because of his pending at-bat. Yet those logistics won¡¯t deter the Yankees.

¡°If he¡¯s the guy that does it the best and profiles the best, it¡¯s not going to stop me,¡± Boone said. ¡°He feels good about that part of it. He has not felt rushed or impacted by it so far.¡±

Wells has seemed ready for whatever the Yankees toss at him, which is why they¡¯ll keep giving him chances to do something Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, Thurman Munson, Elston Howard and Jorge Posada never did on their respective paths toward Monument Park.

¡°It was fun to do it,¡± Wells said. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll do it, for sure. Whatever is needed, I¡¯ll do it.¡±